This study characterizes the aerosol over extratropical and tropical southern Africa during the biomass burning season by presenting an aerosol mass apportionment and aerosol optical properties. Carbonaceous aerosol species account for 54% and 83% of the extratropical and tropical aerosol mass, respectively, which is consistent with the fact that the major source of particulate matter in southe...

Robust evaluation of potential environmental and health risks of carbonaceous and boron nitride nanomaterials (NMs) is imperative. However, significant agglomeration of pristine carbonaceous and boron nitride NMs due to strong van der Waals forces renders them not suitable for direct toxicity testing in aqueous media. Here, the natural polysaccharide alginic acid (AA) was used as a nontoxic, en...

A recent studyof the Al-Mgchronometer (t1/2 ∼ 730,000 yr) in six bulk CAIs from the Allende carbonaceous chondrite indicated that these objects may have formed over a short time interval, possibly within 50,000 yr [1]. However, in situ Al-Mg data for CAIs from a number of carbonaceous chondrites suggest that these may have experienced a series of later transient heating events over ∼ 300,000 yr...

The adsorption and kinetics of conversion of cis-2-butene with deuterium on model supported Pd catalyst (Pd/Fe3O4/Pt(111)) were characterized by reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), temperatureprogrammed desorption (TPD), and isothermal molecular beam (MB) experiments. It was found that selectivity toward cis-trans isomerization and hydrogenation depends critically on the nature...

Hybrid sorbents and biosorbents were synthesized via chemical and biological treatment of active carbon by simple and direct redox reaction followed by surface loading of baker's yeast. Surface functionality and morphology of chemically and biologically modified sorbents and biosorbents were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared analysis and scanning electron microscope imaging. Hybrid carbonac...

Meteorites are frequently not the pristine record of early solar system processes that we would like them to be. Many unique meteorites, samples that can further our understanding of the environment of the early solar system, are finds, so a knowledge of terrestrial weathering becomes a requirement to accurately interpret their preterrestrial history. This chapter outlines the weathering proces...

A strategy for combined experimental and computational screening of candidate carbonaceous materials for capturing highly volatile nerve agents at ambient temperature using physisorption. Based on theoretical calculations of Henry constants and zero-coverage adsorption enthalpies for sarin and DMMP (its common stimulant) adsorbed in model slit-shaped carbon pores at 298 K, we found the followin...

High levels of carbonaceous aerosol exist over South Asia, the area adjacent to the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. Little is known about if they can be transported across the Himalayas, and as far inland as the Tibetan Plateau. As important constituents of aerosols, organic acids have been recognized as unique fingerprints to identify the atmospheric process. Here we measured dicarboxylic acids...

Since the 1980's, measures mitigating the impact of transboundary air pollution have been implemented successfully as evidenced in the 1980-2014 record of atmospheric sulphur pollution over the NE-Atlantic, a key region for monitoring background northern-hemisphere pollution levels. The record reveals a 72-79% reduction in annual-average airborne sulphur pollution (SO4 and SO2, respectively) ov...

Recently, some authors have suggested that the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) can be used to deduce the component aerosol absorption optical depths (AAODs) of carbonaceous aerosols in the AERONET database. This AAE approach presumes that AAE 1 for soot carbon, which contrasts the traditional small particle limit of AAE= 1 for soot carbon. Thus, we provide an overview of the AERONET retrieva...